Posted on 10/07/2014 12:16:13 PM PDT by bestintxas
Next time you eat out at a fancy restaurant, don't be surprised if, at the end of your meal, you spot an unfamiliar item on your tab — a surcharge to pay for Obamacare.
Diners at high-end restaurants such as Melisse, AOC, and a dozen others in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas have noticed a 3 percent surcharge for employee healthcare tacked on to their bills, and the Los Angeles Times reports that some of the customers are none too happy about it. One diner complained in an online blog, "It's basically management saying 'Obamacare made me do it.' If you want to offset costs, try turning up the thermostat. There's your 3%! Now please pay your workers' health insurance and hush."
Better get used to it. "Once it starts you are going to see other segments in the industry, whether coffee shops or ice cream shops, dip their toe in if they see it's manageable and customers do not revolt," Jot Condie of the California Restaurant Association told the Times.
Josh Loeb, co-owner of Milo & Olive and Rustic Canyon, told the Times, "We want our staff to have healthcare. It's not because we support Obama or don't support Obama, or are Democrats or are not Democrats."
Restaurants have considered increasing the price of menu items to pay the cost of providing healthcare, but this would not take into account rent and liability insurance, which would require increasing menu costs by more than 3 percent to make the same amount of money as a simple surcharge
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
Perhaps surcharge is a misnomer for what is in reality a pass through tax
Who's stiffing who?
Wish they did here too!!
I'm in OK...now!!!
“It is only AFTER one orders a meal that does one realize the true cost of it as it is tacked on at the end.”
How do you know this is a surprise tacked on at the end? How do you know there isn’t a mention of the surcharge prior to ordering?
Just an FYI - everyone who reads that will rightfully deem you an idiot.
“Healthcare isn’t free and someone has to pay for it.”
Not to mention that bozoCare was shoved down their throats.
There are many places online where you can get post-it notes pre-printed - I ordered some with the federal and state excise taxes listed, and then add in the local sales tax and total it, and place it right below the price on the pump.
Only had one gas station complain, I stopped going there.
All businesses will pass on the cost of Obamacare to you. When it all kicks in it is going to be worse than it was this year.
You will starve in the dark naked if you cease doing business with those that pass along the cost of Obama care
Every business passes on their costs... or goes bankrupt. The question isn’t IF, but HOW. Some will make it plainly obvious with a surcharge, some will hide it increasing prices, some will decrease other costs through smaller portions or lower quality ingredients. But all costs get passed on, that’s how profit is made. The place you go to instead is still using your money to pay ObamaCare, including the grocery store and power company when you cook your own food.
Seems to me that just the opposite is true. Can't get much more transparent than an overt surcharge.
A surcharge is more honest and up front way to charge a customer. Customers expect the sales tax to be itemized on their bill, why not specific taxes caused by Obamacare?
“If the Republicans were smart (and they are not), they would end deductibility for state and local taxes tomorrow.
No quicker way to turn all the blue states red with an instant uprising.”
you are too late. They ended in 2013. http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2013/11/04/8-tax-breaks-expiring-at-the-end-of-2013
Let’s see in the November election if this had an effect.
“So....when business get’s whacked from Washington D.C. and passes this on to you...You are mad at businesses?”
Please educate me where I said this.
I have never said it is wrong to passing increased costs onto consumer.
What I object to is doing it without telling the consumer upfront and simply tacking onto bill after-the-fact.
“How do you know this is a surprise tacked on at the end? How do you know there isn’t a mention of the surcharge prior to ordering?”
If it was explained up front, no problem. One can get up and walk out without ordering.
What exactly would you do if they did not do that and simply tacked it on at end without telling you upfront?
It doesn't offed ME (I don't work for tips), but that's not what you posted. You clearly stated that you would stiff the waitress as retribution for the owner's disclosure.
Econ 101: ALL business pass ALL costs on to their customers, whether you're ignorant of the fact or not.
“Seems to me that just the opposite is true. Can’t get much more transparent than an overt surcharge. “
No disagreement from me. If my eyes are wide open and know it is coming, I can accept or reject it.
Problem I have is I doubt it is overt.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.